The Community As A Full Partner: A New Model For Public Health.

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated a need to strengthen the US public health system by shifting toward much greater community engagement and leadership. In November and December 2023, we conducted separate online surveys of community-based organizations and large metropolitan health departments to identify barriers and opportunities for building a public health system with strong community partnerships. Identified barriers included mistrust, siloed health departments with structural challenges in funding community-based organizations, and insufficient shared decision making.

What Are the Roles of Community Health Workers in Medicaid Managed Care? Results from a National Study.

Managed care organizations (MCOs) are increasingly engaging community health workers (CHWs) to support service delivery for their members, particularly in the realm of social determinants of health. Some states now require MCOs to offer CHW services. Although the roles and activities of CHWs working in other contexts (eg, clinics, hospitals, community-based organizations) are well established, there is sparse knowledge about how MCOs are operationalizing CHW roles and whether CHW activities differ based on whether CHWs are employed directly by MCOs or contracted through other organizations.

Establishing a health profession: What oncology patient navigators can learn from the National Association of Community Health Workers.

Persons who identify as community health workers (CHWs) may hold other titles and/or certifications, including the title of patient navigator (PN). PN roles first emerged from Dr. Harold Freeman's initiative at Harlem Hospital as a strategy to reduce disparities in access to health care, whereas CHW roles extend beyond health systems and are predominantly found in community-based organizations and nonprofits.

Insights on COVID-19 From Community Health Worker State Leaders.

Community health workers (CHWs) leverage their trusting relationships with underresourced populations to promote health equity and social justice in their communities. Little is known about CHWs roles in addressing COVID-19 or how the pandemic may have affected CHWs' ability to interact with and support communities experiencing disparities. A focus group with CHW leaders from 7 states revealed 8 major themes: CHW identity, CHW resiliency, self-care, unintended positives outcomes of COVID-19, technology, resources, stressors, and consequences of COVID-19.

Health insurance literacy: disparities by race, ethnicity, and language preference.

Objectives: To measure Connecticut's Affordable Care Act qualified health plan enrollees' health insurance literacy (HIL) by race, ethnicity, and language preference.

Study Design: Statewide landline and cell phone telephonic survey.

Methods: Geographically balanced cohort that oversampled black and Hispanic enrollees.